Left Behind? Facts Behind The Fiction

In the last few years, books in the Left Behind fiction series, co-authored by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, have taken Christian publishing by storm. Although the books are fictional, they are based on—and promote—a particular understanding of end times events that flow from the authors' theological context and approach to biblical interpretation. Here, Flesher describes and challenges the theological framework, interpretative practices, socio-political ideologies, and the end times scenario that, while prominent in... Show More the Left Behind series, are not shared by most biblical scholars. Flesher outlines how to read the Bible and exposes the use and abuse of Scripture to support the peculiar doctrines of “Rapture” and “Tribulation.” Demonstrating how theological preconceptions guide the use of Bible texts, she explodes the myth of “literal interpretation” and highlights the importance of understanding history, context and literary genre. Flesher continues with a presentation of alternative readings of Daniel, Revelation, and other key Scriptures. Celebrating these texts as “resistance literature,” designed to help Christians keep the faith in a hostile world, Flesher offers practical guidelines for appropriating their message in a post modern world. Ideal for preachers and church educators, as well as for interested laypersons, Left Behind?: The Facts Behind the Fiction includes a glossary of terms and recommendations for further reading. Show Less